Car-door-locking device.



C. W. BITNER.

Patented Nov 8, 1910 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 I A i MQW/Bihan DA C L l N@Witwe/ono C. W. BITNER. GAR DOOR LOCKING DEVICE.

APPLIGATION FILED 313.16, 1909.

Patented Nov.8,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CHARLES W. BITNER, OF OAXACA, MEXICO.

CAR-DOOR-LOCKING DEVICE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

Application filed February 16, 1909. Serial No. 478,336.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES 1V. BITNER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oaxaca, in the county of Central and State of Oajaca,Mexico, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Door-LockingDevices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a locking device designed for use inconnection with doors for boX, stock and combination cars, and relatesmore particularly to a locking device of that type used with doors thatset into the openings in the sides of the car.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify theconstruction and operation of devices of this character so as to becomparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, thoroughly reliableand eflicient in use, and readily manipulated.

A further object of the invent-ion is to improve the form of therock-shaft on which the door swings inwardly and outwardly and to alsoimprove the construction of the manipulating lever in connection withthe device for holding the same in raised position.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the descriptionproceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully describedhereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claim appendedhereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of theinvention, Figure 1 is a side view of the door-locking device applied toa car. larged vertical sectional view of a portion of the car showingthe device in side elevation, portions being broken away. Fig. 3 is adetail sectional view on line 3-3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionof the car, showing the door in open position. Fig. 5 is an enlargeddetail view of one of the door hangers. Fig. 6 is a side view of thebolt operating and locking device. Fig. 7 is a front view thereof.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout the views.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a portion of the body of a carwhich has a door opening 1 into which the door 2 sets when in closedposition. Over the door opening is a horizontally-disposed track 3 Fig.2 is an en-,

on which the door moves back and forth and on this track are mountedcombination hangers 4 formed with apertured lugs 5. Mounted on the dooris a horizontally-disposed rock shaft 6 that has terminal crank arms 7that terminate in hooks 8 that engage in the apertured lugs 5 of thehangers whereby the door is suspended on the track. On the door are sidebearings 9 for receiving the ends of the rock shaft 6, and at the middleof the door is a double bearing 10 which cooperates with the otherbearings to support the rock shaft. The central bearing is in the formof an inverted U, and between the legs 11 thereof, the shaft 6 has a V-shaped bend 12 constituting a crank to which the actuating rod 13 of thelocking device is connected.

Secured to the middle of the door adjacent the bottom thereof is abracket 14 on which is pivotally mounted the operating lever 15 whichhas a bifurcated portion 16, the bifurcations of which are bentlaterally into pivots 17 that are disposed in bearings 18 on the bracket14. Attached to the bifurcated portion 16 of the lever is a bolt 19which slides in straps or keepers 20 and 21 arranged respectively on thedoor 1 and body of the car one above the other, the bolt being connectedwit-h the lever 15 by a pivot 22. On the bolt is a hook-shaped catch 23that extends through an opening 24 inthe lever and the catch has anaperture 25 for receiving a padlock or seal for holding the lever inlocking position and preventing tampering with the device. On the leveris a slidable latch 26 which is adapted to engage behind the bill 27 ofthe catch 23 to maintain the lever in place. Formed on the lever at oneside o the opening 24 is an apertured lug 28 disposed opposite the catch23 so that a seal can be passed through bot-h the catch and lug 28. Theactuating rod 13 passes downwardly between the bifurcations 16 and isconnected with the upper end of the bolt 19 by the pivot 22 so that byswinging the lever upwardly, the bolt is simultaneously withdrawn withthe upward movement of the actuating rod 13 whereby the shaft 6 will berocked to throw the door outwardly beyond the side of the car inposition for sliding the door open. Mounted on the bracket 14 andpivotally connected therewith to swing laterally is a retainer 29designed to hold the lever 15 in raised position, as shown by dottedlines in Fig. 1. As the lever is swung upwardly,` it strikes theretainer 29 which is moved to one side to permit the lever to pass, andas soon as the leverl passes, the retainer swings to normal position sothat the extremity thereof engages in front of the lever and holds it inraised position. The retainer has a weighted end 30 disposed in achamber 31 in the bracket 14 and this weighted end yieldingly holds theretainer in the positionl invention, together with the device which Inow consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to haveit'understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and thatsuch changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of theclaims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is A combination of adoor body having an opening, ,a door therein, means for suspending thedoor including a rock shaft, avertically disposed actuating rodconnected with the shaft, a lever fulcrumed on the door, means forconnecting the lever with the said rod, a locking bolt attached to thelever, means for holding thelever lowered to retain the bolt in lockingposition, and a retainer adapted to automatically act to hold the leverin raised position.

In testimony whereof I aliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES W. BITNER'.

